


Flight

by StarryCircuits



Series: Taking Flight [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Airplanes, Alternate Universe – College/University, Alternate Universe – Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay Keith, Keith is Japanese/Korean-American, Lance is Cuban-American, M/M, Referenced Shallura, idk how to tag things someone help, mentions of shiro and matt and allura, third person Keith’s pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 06:11:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11777124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryCircuits/pseuds/StarryCircuits
Summary: You know that person you absolutely don’t want to get stuck sitting next to? Yeah.Or: Keith gets seated next to a chatty college student when all he wants is a nap.





	Flight

**Author's Note:**

> it's rated T for language and some suggestive themes

Keith knows he’s not the nicest guy. Sure, he ends up doing nice things from time to time – he does have some standards, after all – but it’s only about doing his fair share. So granted, he may offer his seat to pregnant persons on the subway, or hold the door open for elderly couples at the theater, or buy coffee for the exhausted college student in front of him at the coffee shop. But he’s not delusional. He’s disgruntled or aloof at best, and usually he’s just an asshole. 

That’s why some part of him is thoroughly convinced that karmic justice is at work when he sees who will be his new seatmate for the next eight hours.

It starts off well enough. Keith is enjoying his window view in a two-seat row when a tall, limber man with a handsome, boyish face asks him if this is Row 36. In response he gives a nod, drinking in the corded muscle of his seatmate’s tanned arms as the mystery man in question pushes his backpack into the overhead compartment. The seatmate offers a hand, says his name is Lance, and then starts to settle into his spot next to Keith. They’re fairly quiet as others start boarding, during which Keith reads his novel and Lance taps away at his phone. They’re quiet during the flight safety video, and they’re quiet as the plane takes off. Wonderful. Keith hates getting seated next to talkers, and it looks like this prettyboy understands the gift of silence on a long flight.

Just as Keith is about to take his blanket and drift off to sleep, Lance startles him by clearing his throat.

“Say, I never caught your name?” he asks nervously. Keith wants to sleep, but he figures a little bit of small talk wouldn’t kill him – given that Shiro is always on his case about it.

“I’m Keith,” he says casually. “Nice to meet you.” Thinking that’s it, Keith starts to rearrange the blanket and pillow in his lap so it’s covering more of his body. 

“So, Keith, where are you from?” Lance asks after a short pause. And a part of Keith starts screaming into a metaphorical abyss. He is running on about four hours of rest in about 48 hours, and he is too tired after a week full of job training and editorial meetings abroad to have a long conversation. All he wants to do is go the fuck to sleep. But is he granted this right? No, because every deity that exists appears to hate him. The more rational side in his brain – the “Shiro” voice, he calls it – tells him that Lance is just being nice, and that it would serve him well to be a fraction as social as this stranger. So Keith internally sighs and curses his entire existence, but he answers in a passably friendly voice.

“I’m from San Francisco,” he answers with a yawn, trying to hint at how exhausted he is. “I’m taking a connecting flight once we get back to New York.” And, because he needs to learn when to quit, he volleys the question back. “What about you?”

“I’m from New York!” Lance says animatedly. Keith internally sighs with relief. “But I’m visiting some friends in San Fran. We might be on the same connection.” And Keith wants to scream some more, but he doesn’t. Instead he gives an affirmative grunt and hopes that will end the conversation.

“What do you do for a living?” Lance asks. Keith bites back a “your mom” joke, reminding himself that he’s a twenty-four year-old man who just needs to get through small talk with a stranger. A hot stranger. Fuck. Talkative stranger. Annoying stranger. Looks-like-a-hobo, probably-in-college stranger.

“I’m an editor,” he says before his brain can take a momentary leave of absence. “You a student?”

“Yup!” Lance chirps, grinning as he pulls off his hoodie. “Goin’ into my senior year, baby!” 

“Awesome,” Keith says monotonously, picking up his water bottle and taking a swig. Apparently this is an invitation to keep talking.

“I’m studying astrophysics. It’s kinda difficult, but I love challenges. There’s just something about the vastness of space, you feel? Technically it’s a hobby. I’m double majoring in physics and aerospace engineering, and then taking astronomy classes on the side. But astrophysics is definitely my passion.”

“Cool.”

“I love it a lot. My friends are studying computer science and mechanical engineering, and we all want to be astronauts one day. A bit crazy, I know. I get real dizzy on spinning park rides, so I might not pass the gyro test. My backup plan is to get contracted by SpaceX or NASA and work on the shuttle or Raptor or something.”

“Nice.”

“But my friends are really smart. Maybe you’ve met them?” Lance asks. Keith doesn’t know why he should, and says as much. Lance hums. “Well, the world is a small place. Do you know a Katie Holt? She goes by Pidge. Or her brother Matt? Both of them are pretty well-connected.” 

As Lance is talking, Keith almost drops his bottle of water. For context, Keith is an editor for the tech and sciences magazine “VOLTron.” His manager works for a small panel of executives directly, since VOLTron is owned by one of the executives of their parent company. Matt is on said panel, and also great friends with his brother. Pidge is a gremlin, but her snarkiness makes her an absolute delight – she and Keith think on the same wavelength. She’s also a prodigy in computing, and pursuing her Master’s at Stanford as an eighteen year-old. 

“Yeah, I’ve met Matt Holt a few times,” is all he says. But thinking about Pidge makes him wonder how Lance met her. “Say, Lance. Where do your friends all study? You said you’re from New York?” 

“Right,” Lance replies immediately. “Well, Pidge is a genius and a grad student at Stanford. Hunk, my best bro, is at UC Berkeley with me. I got a pretty good deal through my scholarships and I’m so thankful that I can afford out-of-state tuition. I have to work a couple odd jobs, but luckily a lot of it is covered. I’m so thankful. Hashtag ‘blessed,’ am I right?”

Keith feels very self-conscious about his University of Arizona degree now, but he glosses it over. 

“Wow,” he says genuinely. “Well, you’re all on your way to great careers.”

“Thanks, Keith!” Lance says, beaming. Something in Keith’s chest leaps. He tells himself that he’s imagining things when a faint red surges to Lance’s cheeks. They’re quiet for a few seconds, which apparently feel like hours to Lance, who adds apropos to nothing, “My friends and I are actually visiting for a friend’s wedding!”

“Oh?” Keith asks, curious. He’s actually headed back earlier than planned because his brother is getting married, and… oh. “Is it Takashi Shirogane?”

“Yes! How did you know?” Lance asks, eyes sparkling. “Man, Shiro though. The hottest TA I’ve ever had. Really smart and sexy, too. How’d you meet him?” Keith gives a little side smirk and replies by taking a long sip of his cola.

“We’re acquaintances,” he finally says. 

Lance gives him a look, eyes narrowed, and continues when he sees that Keith refuses to elaborate.

“Right. Well,” he starts, “his fiancé Allura is also super-hot. Asked her out my freshman year. Bad move.” At this Keith sighs inwardly; of course Lance is straight. The sex appeal of the older Shirogane is too high to be ignored by the average folk, but it’s not personal. However, curiosity gets the better of him.

“What happened?” Keith asks. Lance grins mischievously.

“I flirted with her for two weeks straight in my intro physics class, not realizing that she was my TA. She threatened to take away my participation grade if I persisted. And so I was like, ‘I’ll shut up if you let me take you on a date.’ And then she made me sit in the hall like a five year-old for fifteen minutes. That was embarrassing.” 

Keith can’t help himself and he laughs. 

“Well,” he says between giggles, “at least you didn’t hit on Shiro. He could probably bench twice your weight.” Lance is quiet for a moment and then chuckles. Keith is startled into gawking at him.

“No,” he drawls. Lance gives him an absolutely adorable grin, making his heart beat faster.

“Yeah, well,” he says as he scratches his neck, “I sort of did. Didn’t know he’d be my TA the following semester. Was super drunk – luckily of legal age – and started grinding on him at an astrophysics club get-together. He uh, let me down gently.”

“Hey, at least you stayed in touch with him?”

“Yeah, but that’s because he was also assigned to be my mentor. So that was weird,” Lance added. “Anyway, tell me more about yourself, Keith. Because if I keep talking, you’re gonna end up with an itemized list of all the times I was humiliated in public.”

And the rest of the plane ride ends up really “flying by,” Keith notes to himself wryly. They end up talking for the remainder of the flight, and Keith is forced to admit to himself that he really, really likes Lance. Like a lot. A lot a lot. He tries not to get himself down about his newfound crush as the plane reaches the tarmac and comes to an eventual stop at their terminal. 

After a service announcement that Keith doesn’t listen to, Lance stands up to get his stuff. As he pulls his backpack – dark blue really brings out his eyes – Keith notices a bi pride pin, clear as day, attached to the front pocket. So the flirting-with-Shiro thing really wasn’t a fluke! He has a chance!

That is, if he can bring himself to say anything to Lance. Which he can’t, since he’s too fucking shy to ever flirt with anybody. So he’s quiet as they get their stuff and leave the plane, and go through the passenger boarding bridge, and walk down the main passage toward their terminal. Luckily, Lance is more than willing to fill in the blanks.

“Oh my god, Keith, my dude,” Lance says excitedly. “I’m so hyped. I can’t wait to see Hunk and Pidge and go to the beach. You should come with us!” 

“Maybe,” Keith says aloud, except the Shiro voice is telling him he should do it. “I’d like to, but I’ll check my work schedule.”

“Come on, the beaachhhh! Keith, dude, I can see your pecs through your fancy work shirt. You totally have a beach body,” Lance says before cutting himself off, red in the face. Keith laughs, the back of his neck prickling.

“Well, who could refuse an offer like that?” he says as he bites his lip to keep himself from laughing the courage away from Lance.

“You know,” Lance says in a rush as he takes in Keith’s face, “I’m usually not this talkative.”

“Oh?” Keith replies. Lance blushes harder, but blathers as if it physically pains him to be quiet.

“Yeah, I get like this usually when I’m around hot people,” he says, holding eye contact with Keith for all of two seconds before he looks away, cheeks ablaze. Keith can’t help but feel a little pink rise to his own cheeks, and he clears his throat.

“Thanks,” Keith replies earnestly. “I normally don’t enjoy uh, talking with other people. It takes someone either really interesting, or really cute to get me to have a full conversation with them.” 

Lance suddenly looks up, making very intense eye contact with Keith. He considers himself somewhat of a staring contest champion, what with all the sucky people he’s had to interview or even work with. That doesn’t stop him from blushing as he coughs out the next bit.

“And it takes a substantial amount of both qualities to get me to enjoy it.”

The smile Lance gives him is bright, so pure and so delighted that Keith and his gay heart are 100% convinced he’s going to go blind before he can even get to the next terminal. Keith is also pretty sure his face is as red as a beet, so he’s panicking internally and almost misses what Lance says next.

“Well, this is not even my final form.” 

Keith wants to both sigh and kiss this guy. That he just met. Self-control, Keith.

“And if you’ll let me, I can help you enjoy a lot more than a six-hour conversation with a stranger,” Lance breathes out. “What do you say?” 

Keith hums before saying, “Well, I can help you enjoy a lot more than a week-long stay in San Fran for a friend’s wedding. If you’ll let me, that is.”

Lance smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo our boi Keith never exactly told Lance that he’ll be at the wedding, too… What to do, what to do. This fic is a standalone, buuuuut I might consider a wedding fic if there’s enough demand. No promises, since engineering=suffering and I hate myself. (jk jk I love engineering school but srsly I will have v little time until my winter break, idk how the genius trio has time for anything) Idk, maybe I can piece things together in small increments? Let me know in the comments if you’d like one, and if so, what you’d like to see in it. im a MESS  
> oh, also there’s nothing wrong with a University of Arizona degree, but I’m shook by UC Berkeley and Stanford so Keith is gonna be, too
> 
> thank you for reading my first fanfic, too!! if ur reading this, i hope u have a lovely day!


End file.
